Sunday, December 1, 2013

#NerdLution 2013

Button courtesy of Kristi Mraz

When I think of the power of social media and the value of a PLN for teachers, nothing illustrates this better than the Nerdy Book Club. I have met a few other members, but it has made a tremendous difference in my professional life.
For instance:
1) I read more books because the other book members are so enthused about them.
2) I feel like the quality of books that I read has improved due to the "crowd-sourced" nature.
3) Many of these books have ended up in our school library and in students' and teachers' hands as a result.
4) The twitter chat #titletalk (generally last Sunday of the month 8 pm ET) showed me the power of chat. (Also #teaching2030)

Wow! It's December already. I hope I will have time to read as many of the Nerdy Nominees as possible in the next two weeks. And, now we have the NerdLutions, as explained by Colby Sharp. (and check out all of the comments)

Reading suggestions from others showed me that my resolutions can be creative, and not the run-of-the-mill "lose weight, exercise more". So, for 50 days here are my nerdLutions. By publicly posting them, maybe I'll be more likely to stick with them.

1) Read a book of student interest: at least 20 minutes a day. I'll start with the Nerdy Nominees.
2) Clean my house at least 20 minutes a day. (Note to self: reading from the stacks of old newspapers and magazines to then transfer them to the recycle bag does not count.)
3) Eat breakfast at home every morning unless I'm out of town (or invited to breakfast) Will save $$ and calories.
4) Spend less time reading email, checking email...
5) Touch paper only once, and be done with it. I'm getting better, but instead of keeping clippings of good recipes, music, book, and gift suggestions, I need to put them in the cloud immediately. I'm getting better about using Pinterest, diigo, Evernote, and other tools.

What I really need is a change in my work flow, which is easier said than done. But, just like habits can be learned, I can unlearn some and hopefully replace them with better ones.

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About Me

Media Specialist and former science teacher. I've been in middle school for over 30 years. I really enjoy attending edcamps, ISTE, ICE, ILF, and other learning opps. As one of my friends said, "Susie, for you, Professional Development IS a vacation."